Systems, apparatus, and methods to facilitate docking of robotic vehicles with platforms

Abstract

Systems, apparatus, and methods to facilitate docking of robotic vehicles with platforms are disclosed. An example apparatus includes memory; machine readable instructions; and processor circuitry to execute the machine readable instructions to identify a property associated with a platform; determine a confidence associated with docking the platform and an autonomous vehicle based on the property associated with the platform; identify a positioning maneuver to be performed by the autonomous vehicle relative to the platform based on the confidence and the property of the platform; and output an instruction to cause the autonomous vehicle to perform the positioning maneuver.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An autonomous vehicle comprising:
 memory;   machine readable instructions; and   processor circuitry to execute the machine readable instructions, the processor circuitry being configured, in use, to:
 identify a property associated with a platform; 
 determine a confidence level associated with the autonomous vehicle docking with the platform vehicle based on the property associated with the platform; 
 identify a positioning maneuver to be performed by the autonomous vehicle relative to the platform based on the confidence level and the property of the platform; and 
 cause the autonomous vehicle to perform the identified positioning maneuver. 
   
     
     
         2 . The autonomous vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is further configured to perform a comparison of the confidence level to a threshold value, and then either
 i) identify the positioning maneuver if the confidence level satisfies the threshold value; or   ii) cause an alert to be output if the confidence level fails to satisfy the threshold value.   
     
     
         3 . The autonomous vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the property associated with the platform is a first property associated with the platform and the processor circuitry is further configured to:
 identify a second property associated with the platform based on data corresponding to an output of a sensor when a fork of the autonomous vehicle is at least partially engaged with the platform;   adjust the positioning maneuver based on the second property; and   output an instruction to cause the autonomous vehicle to perform the adjusted positioning maneuver.   
     
     
         4 . The autonomous vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is further configured to:
 determine an orientation of the platform relative to a fork of the autonomous vehicle when a fork of the autonomous vehicle is at least partially engaged with the platform based on data corresponding to an output of a sensor of the autonomous vehicle;   adjust the positioning maneuver based on the orientation; and   output an instruction to cause the autonomous vehicle to perform the adjusted positioning maneuver.   
     
     
         5 . The autonomous vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is further configured to identify the property associated with the platform based on image data output by a sensor of the autonomous vehicle. 
     
     
         6 . The autonomous vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is to execute one or more machine learning models to determine the confidence. 
     
     
         7 . The autonomous vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the property associated with the platform comprises a weight of a load supported by the platform and the processor circuitry is configured to:
 identify a first positioning maneuver to cause the autonomous vehicle to move a fork of the autonomous vehicle to a first position relative to the platform when the load is associated with a first weight; and   identify a second positioning maneuver to cause the autonomous vehicle to move the fork to a second position relative to the platform when the load is associated with a second weight.   
     
     
         8 . A method of operating an autonomous vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:
 i) identifying one or more properties of a platform;   ii) selecting a positioning maneuver to be performed by the autonomous vehicle relative to the platform based on the one or more properties identified in step i); and   iii) outputting an instruction to cause the autonomous vehicle to perform the positioning maneuver selected in step ii).   
     
     
         9 . A method according to  claim 8 , wherein if one or more further platform properties are identified during the execution of the positioning maneuver that is selected in step ii) then the method comprises the further steps of;
 a) modifying the previously selected positioning maneuver; or   b) selecting a further positioning maneuver.   
     
     
         10 . A method according to  claim 9 , wherein;
 in step i) a first property of the platform is identified;   a second property of the platform is identified during the execution of the positioning maneuver that is selected in step ii), the second property of the platform being identified based on data corresponding to an output of a sensor when a fork of the autonomous vehicle is at least partially engaged with the platform; the method comprising the further steps of:
 iv) adjusting the positioning maneuver based on the second property; and 
 v) outputting an instruction to cause the autonomous vehicle to perform the adjusted positioning maneuver. 
   
     
     
         11 . A method according to  claim 8 , wherein in step i) the one or more properties of a platform may comprise one or more properties of a load carried by the platform. 
     
     
         12 . A method according to  claim 11 , wherein in step i) a property of the load carried by the platform is identified and in step ii) if the identified property of the load is a first load property, selecting a first positioning maneuver to cause the autonomous vehicle to move a fork of the autonomous vehicle to a first position relative to the platform; or if the identified property of the load is a second load property, selecting a second positioning maneuver to cause the autonomous vehicle to move a fork of the autonomous vehicle to a second position relative to the platform. 
     
     
         13 . A method according to  claim 8 , wherein in step ii) selecting the positioning maneuver includes executing one or more machine learning models to select the positioning maneuver. 
     
     
         14 . A method according to  claim 8 , wherein in step i) the one or more properties of a platform are identified based on outputs of one or more sensors, the one or more sensors carried by at least one of the platform or the. autonomous vehicle. 
     
     
         15 . A method according to  claim 8 , wherein in step i) the one or more properties of a platform are identified based on an orientation or a location of the platform in an environment. 
     
     
         16 . A method according to  claim 8 , wherein the positioning maneuver selected in step ii) causes the autonomous vehicle to perform a first positioning maneuver such that the autonomous vehicle docks with the platform. 
     
     
         17 . A method according to  claim 16 , wherein the autonomous vehicle performs a further positioning maneuver to undock from the platform. 
     
     
         18 . A method according to  claim 17 , wherein the autonomous vehicle performs the further positioning maneuver to undock from the platform in response to an indication that the autonomous vehicle has arrived at a pre-determined destination. 
     
     
         19 . A non-transitory machine readable storage medium of comprising machine-readable instructions that are to cause processor circuitry to at least:
 i) identify one or more properties of a platform;   ii) select a positioning maneuver to be performed by the autonomous vehicle relative to the platform based on the one or more properties identified in step i); and   iii) output an instruction to cause the autonomous vehicle to perform the positioning maneuver selected in step ii).